Caltrain August ridership numbers rise

Caltrain said Wednesday ridership in August rose 7.8% compared with the same month a year ago, up to 1.35 million riders from 1.25 million in August 2012, or roughly 3,000 more riders per day.

The increase was the 25th consecutive monthly rise in ridership, Caltrain said.

Part of the ridership increase is attributed to a rise in riders attending San Francisco Giants baseball games at AT&T Park, up 11% in August from the comparable month a year ago, Caltrain said.

Farebox revenue in August was up 12.1%, according to a staff report.

The ridership increases have bolstered Caltrain's political and fiscal position at it gets set to advance electrification of its operations. California last week released $40 million last week in Proposition 1A bond money to begin work on the project, projected to cost about $1.5 billion.

Caltrain notes its Modernization Program is part of the "blended program" to provide both regional passenger service and the state's high speed rail network, which will share right-of-way in the Bay Area. The state's $700 billion project is expected to begin construction next year, after the state legislature reaffirmed its support last summer.